Crafting using everything from Aida to zips and everything in between.

Crochet

Since making my tumbling blocks pineapple blanket and cushion I have had a few more tumbling projects in the works and the first out is this heart cushion. I added some textures to the heart blocks with some bobbles to make them really stand out from the background and give a textured feel and opted to use two different pinks one on the front heart and one on the back, though you could do them both the same if you preferred.

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I can’t believe how quickly this year seems to be going, doesn’t seem to minutes ago I was getting ready for Easter and now the focus is on Christmas.

After making my Halloween bottle/can covers I made a note to make some for Christmas too and I have finally got round to getting some made. I still have a few more ideas for these so won’t be long until a few more pop up!

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Following on from my fabric tumbling blocks Bambi quilt I decided I wanted to try something similar with crochet and combined this with an idea I had for doing a blanket with pineapples on. It took me a little while to get the pattern layout as I wanted but after many failed drawings I finally cracked it and I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out. It was great fun to make and every time I started working on it the ‘Pina Colada’ song would come to mind – random I know, but it made me smile!The pattern is available over on my Etsy site: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/621557268

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I have had the Edwards Imaginarium by Kerry Lord for a while now and have finally got round to making some of the fantastic creations from it, it took me ages to decide which to pick for my makes as I like so many of the different options it was hard to pick! As there were just so many I liked I decided to make two (for now!).

For the first I decided to use a Arran wool which would give me a slightly bigger monster than if i had used DK which I normally use for these. This monster uses the combination H:18, A:3, and F:5.

For the second I opted for a variegated chunky wool which I have had for a while now and have been waiting for the right project for it. This monster uses the combination H:20, A:9, and F19 (I didn’t cut the loops as i liked how it looked).

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Following my first successful attempt at corner to corner crochet with my corner to corner hearts blanket I decided to venture back and try something else. I have had an idea for some crochet storage cases for a while now and combined with my like for making things Minecraft related I decided to combine to two and make some Minecraft themed storage cases.

After digging out my graph paper again I got started on the patterns for a Creeper and a Ghast (I was thinking of starting with a mooshroom cow but didn’t have any red!). once I had got the pattern sorted I could get started on the crochet part.

After I had completed the crochet part and sewn in all the loose ends it was time to put the cases together. Taking one of the cases I folded it in half with the right sides together and slip stitched down the two sides.

After turning it back out it was time to sew on the zip. I used a 20 cm zip but make sure you measure along the top edge of your finished case to ensure your zip size due to variations in wool and tension. Before sewing in the zip I completed a few stitches at the bottom of the zip to hold the loose ends together which makes it much easier for sewing in.

I first sewed the zip along one of the top edges, then opened the zip and sewed it to the other side.

I decided to add some lining to my case just to ensure no bits could fall out. I opted for lining which had a white wrong side and pattern on the right side for my Ghast so that you wouldn’t see any pattern through the case but would on the inside, however, you could choose any pattern or colour you would like. To do this I cut a piece of fabric (for each case) 21 x 22 cm and folded this in half (placing right sides together) so I had a piece 21 x 11 cm and sewed down the sides.

I then folded the top edge over by 0.5 cm and pressed it so it would hold, then I was able to sew the lining into the case by placing the lining inside the case, pinning it in place with the top edge of the lining 0.5 cm from the zip and securing using a slip stitch.

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I have been wanting to give corner to corner crochet a try for a while now but I’ve had too many other projects on the go to really give it a try, so a few weeks ago I found some wool that I really wanted to use for a corner to corner make so I got the wool and decided that the other projects could take a back seat for a while so that I could give it a try!

I dug out some graph paper – it’s amazing what you can find at the back of a craft cupboard and gathered some colouring pencils and set about drawing a pattern out. I didn’t want to do anything too crazy so decided to go with a repeating heart pattern mini blanket – can never have too many hearts about.

After the pattern was completed it was time to get going and surprisingly it went really well – I did manage to mess up a couple of times and got a bit carried away and forgot to change colour but luckily realised before I had got too far. Once I had finished the pattern I did a round of single crochet and a round of half treble (UK)/half double (US) around the edges in pink.

Can’t wait to start the next one of these – I’ve got a few half coloured designs already!

If you would like to make one here is the pattern I drew up:

Final size is 88 x 72 cm, you could duplicate the pattern to make it larger.

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After finishing my rabbits, mice, and bear storage baskets I started on making some owl ones too, however, I got slightly distracted by a few other projects that have recently made their way into my projects pile (which is become more like a mountain!). It dawned on me the other day that I hadn’t finished them yet so decided to get cracking and get them completed. Took me a little while to get all their bits untangled and with the right owl but eventually I got them all sew on in the right places and completed.